Windstorms, deadly rains in various cities leave 12 dead

ISLAMABAD: (APS) June 1, 2016– Accidents occurring in various parts of the country due to deadly rains left twelve people dead and multiple injured. Rawalpindi, Peshawar, Naushera, Kohat and Mardan are some of the cities affected by the storms, reported APS News on Wednesday.

Fences erected on the Motorway were blown away because of the strong winds that damaged three cars and caused severe traffic jam whereas the flight operation in various cities was also affected. Two people died as a result of the roof of a house falling in Peshawar’s Musazai Kohat Road. Rescue sources state that the two who died in the incident included a mother and her 6-year old son named Ahmad. Two girls, Ambreen and Nausheen, were injured in the tragedy; both were transferred to the Lady Reading Hospital in Peshawar.

The falling of a wall because of strong windstorm and rain resulted in the death of one person in Kurram Agency whereas an 8-year old child died in Charsadda because of the same incident. Furthermore, one person died in Naushera because of the severe storms whereas 14 other got injured. The falling of a building in Rawalpindi resulted in the death of two siblings whereas their mother got severely injured.

A mother and her two young daughters living in Islamabad’s Margalla Town, a Madrassa student from sector F-7 and another individual from Barakahu are also reported dead because of incidents linked with the windstorm. The strong winds left various areas in Islamabad deprived of electricity. Reports regarding the uprooting of trees and signboards have been received in different sectors of the city including F-7, G-6 and F-8.

Flight operation at the Benazir International Airport has been badly affected because of the windstorms as flights have been diverted to land in Lahore instead of Islamabad. The roofs of different Metro stations in Islamabad were blown away because of the strong winds resulting in the Metro service becoming inoperational.

Fire erupted in Sabzi Mandi area in Islamabad as a result of the detaching of an electrical wire. Meteorological department has recorded the wind speed to be around 148 kilometers per hour during the storms. Local administration has directed workers belonging to Environmental department to clear the roads where trees have fallen.

Punjab Chief Minister (CM) Shehbaz Sharif has asked for the report of the damage caused as a result of the windstorm and has directed authorities to compensate the citizens of the loss they suffered because of the tragic incident.